Saint Vincent and Duchesne Clinics to Honor Local Heroes

2014 Caritas Celebrates Award Winners Announced

Saint Vincent and Duchesne Clinics to Honor Local Heroes

LEAVENWORTH, KS (April 14, 2014) - Caritas Clinics, Inc. - Saint Vincent and Duchesne Clinics, is pleased to announce the 2014 Caritas Celebrates Honorees. Awards will be presented to each honoree at the annual Caritas Celebrates event on Saturday, April 26, 2014 at the KCI Expo Center. In addition to recognizing these heroes who have given so much to the clinics, Len Jennings of KMBC 9 News will emcee this fun, Summer Lawn Party themed evening that will include dinner, dancing and a wonderful silent auction to support on-going patient health care at Saint Vincent and Duchesne Clinics.

Greg Shondell of Kansas City, Kansas will be honored with the 2014 Sister Rosalie Mahoney Award for living the spirit of Sister Rosalie Mahoney through tireless dedication and service to the mission of Saint Vincent and Duchesne Clinics.

One of the great secrets of success at Duchesne Clinic is the CPA who volunteers in the Pharmaceutical Assistance Program (PAP). Greg Shondell, whose day job is Secretary/Treasurer of Heathwood Oil Company, brings his analytical and process improvement skills to Duchesne Clinic for 4-8 hours each week. In doing so, he is part of the volunteer and staff PAP team that brings over $2.1 million a year in pharmaceutical medications to patients with chronic conditions. For his volunteer work, critical thinking, sense of humor and tremendous compassion, Mr. Shondell justly receives the single highest honor bestowed by the clinics, the Sister Rosalie Mahoney Award.

“Seeing the clinic’s operation for myself, it continues to impress me how compassionate the entire staff is, and at the same time dealing with limited resources, the organization is incredibly efficient. ‘Compassion’ and ‘Efficiency’ are not commonly used together, but donors should be assured that their support is never wasted.” Greg Shondell, CPA

First Christian Church – Christian Men’s Fellowship of Leavenworth will receive the 2014 Caritas Award as a community partner who, in the spirit of Louise de Marillac, enables the clinics to serve neighbors with humility and kindness, and is a bridge to connect those who have and those who have not.

For forty years, the men of the Christian Men’s Fellowship at First Christian Church have volunteered their time to park cars at the Leavenworth County Fair. Proceeds from that hard work have been dedicated to patient care each year since Saint Vincent Clinic opened in 1986. It’s impossible to guess how many lives have been improved, or how many patients have been touched by the hard work of these kind gentlemen. For their years of community service, the Christian Men’s Fellowship of First Christian Church will receive the clinics’ highest award given to groups, the Caritas Award.

“Over the years, I have been tremendously impressed by how a few people with so little money can touch so many lives.” Richard Sack, CMF Treasurer
Kansas City, Kansas Fire Department has been named Community Servant of the Year as public servants who support the mission and work of Saint Vincent and Duchesne Clinics, and promotes access to quality healthcare for the poor and vulnerable in the communities served by the clinics.

Patients with chronic conditions often come to their clinic appointments feeling very sick. The clinics help them get their conditions back under control. Occasionally, however, a patient is truly in a medical crisis and needs emergency medical treatment. That’s when we at Duchesne Clinic get to see more than bravery from the local fire department; that’s when we see these first responders’ dedication to serving with compassion and respect. The men and women of the KCK Fire Department’s EMS Division demonstrate effective, compassion care at each emergency call at Duchesne Clinic. In commitment to community collaboration, the KCKFD also provides annual CPR recertification training to Duchesne Clinic staff.

“As public servants, every person in this department is dedicated to serving the members of our community. No matter who, where, or what the situation is, every person we serve deserves respect.” John Paul Jones, KCKFD Fire Chief

Moreno Family Dentistry of Kansas City, Kansas will receive the Business of the Year awards as a partner who works with Saint Vincent and Duchesne Clinics to improve the health of individuals and communities, promotes healthy communities through their work in Leavenworth or Wyandotte Counties, and/or promotes healthy work environments for their employees and the people of Leavenworth or Wyandotte Counties.

For seven years, the staff of Moreno Family Dentistry have collaborated with Duchesne Clinic to ensure that dental caries do not prevent patients’ progress to better health. Through donated care and clinic vouchers, Dr. Moreno and her staff have helped well over a hundred Duchesne Clinic patients a year get back on the road to health. Going above and beyond to improve the health of patients, Dr. Moreno and her staff literally bring a smile to the clinic’s patients – and staff.

“It is our privilege to recognize these Honorees for their contributions to the clinics, and to work alongside them day in and day out, on our common goal of ensuring that the poor and uninsured have access to quality health care. We do it not because it is easy, but because it is the right thing to do. Each of these partners understand that just as much as we do,” said Amy Falk, Executive Director.

Honorees were nominated by community partners and clinic volunteers for their dedication and commitment to the work of the clinics. “This year brought a very strong pool of engaged people and groups who were nominated. As the selection committee vetted these nominations, we were struck once again by the strong relationships our generous supporters maintain with the mission of the clinics and how challenging it is to select just one person or group to honor for each award.

The clinics provide a wide range of services, including diagnosis and treatment of acute illnesses; ongoing management of chronic diseases; referrals for dental, optical and specialized medical care; and assistance with access to prescription medication for low-income, uninsured adult residents of Leavenworth and Wyandotte Counties. In 2013, the clinics served almost 3,000 patients, averaging 70 visits per day between the two clinics.

To learn more or support the clinics visit www.CaritasClinics.org or contact Debbie Sparks at 913-651-8860.

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Honoree photos are available upon request. Contact Debbie Sparks at Deborah.Sparks@CaritasClinics.org
or 913-651-8860

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